Since the rebirth of the Dodge Challenger, custom houses and rumor mongers have had a field day with reinterpretations of the Barracuda, or 'Cuda, name. Now Chrysler has put a more official stamp on the subject, apply to register a trademark for "Cuda" with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office last week.
While the original Cuda was a Plymouth, that brand is long dead, Chrysler's catalog whittled down to just Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler marques. The new Cuda will likely be branded as a Dodge, though Chrysler remains an option. If it wears a Dodge badge, it will likely be a value-oriented subset of the Challenger. If it arrives in Chrysler garb, however, it could be a more lux-scaled take on the muscular two-door/convertible's namesake.
Filed just December 15, the trademark record itself states that the Cuda name is to be used for "motor vehicles, namely, passenger automobiles, their structural parts, trim and badges." The application for the trademark hasn't been approved yet, and is pending assessment by a U.S. PTO attorney.
We'll just have to wait and see what Chrysler, Fiat, and the rest of the group have in store for the Cuda name.
